Device for prying pressed covers off cans



July 22, 19 E. T. OLIVER 2,603,991

DEVICE FOR PRYING PRESSED COVERS'OFF CANS Filed Jan. 23, 1947 INVENTOR.

12 BY J? M ATTORNEY Patented July 22,

-- UNITED sures PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR PRYmg I igEssED-oovms OFF Emerson T. Oli v er, Marblehead, Ma'ss. Application January 23, 1947, Serial No. 723,779

The present invention relatesto can openers,

and more particularly to devicesfor prying pressed covers off cans. The invention relates also to tool handles and to'attachments-for the same. I

can byengaging the edge of the cover, between the cover and the body of the can, with the blade of a cover-prying device, and exerting pressure on the blade against the cover away fromv the can. Frequently, however,=the device slipsduring.

the prying operation, andthe blade sometimes jabs the. operator, causinginjury.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved can-coverprying device of 'the above-described character,

that shall be safe to use.

for interposition between the blade and :an. b

edge of the cover during the prying of the cover off the can. The operator might the'nbes'truck by the protective element, instea'dflof by the blade, bec s the:

but no I injury could come .thei'efro' protective element,unlikethejblad blunt.

Another object 7 of the invention s; t provide 1 the protective element itself 'with-a further cancover prying 'blade.

A further, object' still 55 t6 media a eta e 7 upon a part that serves r proach the operator against injury from the, othrblade.

Another object of the invention is to rovide. 35

each protective element with a convex face that terminates in thecan-pryingblade. i

To the attainment of thes'e ends, a further fear. ture of the invention resides in. a vlei-convex cancover-prying device thatv is very similar in shapeto the bi-convex free endof an ordinary tool handle upon which it mayitherlefore be mounted without in any way'interfering .with the manipulation of the tool at the other end of. the handle.-

It is customary to pry the pressed-cover'off a "To this end, a feature of invention in providing the device with a protective element 1 ject toward which the blade mightstrike if the device were to slip out of, en'gagerhentwiththe.

3 Claims. (01. 81-234 1 line 3--3 of handle I having two oppositely disposed convex faces gradually tapering longitudinally toward 4 thefreeend of .the handle to render the handle eyshaped bi-convex free end of the handle I, it

bi-convexat the said free end. The handle I is provided with a device 2 having two blades 4 and l eitherof which may selectively be employed to pry a pressed cover 6 off a can 5.

The device 2 may be pressed out of sheet metal into-the biconcave-biconvex shape illustrated. Being bi-convex exteriorly and bi concave and hollow interiorly, with its interior concavity conforming in shape to the correspondingly becomes adapted to receive'the free end of the handle I snugly in the device2, as shown. The

parts maybe secured, together, with the biconvexfaces of the handle 1 respectively in engagement with the bi-concave interior faces of the device 2 inany desired way,.as by means of a bolt 3passing through the sides of the handle I andthedevice 2.

. The paint brush is thus provided with a cancover-prying device 2 having two convex faces 8' and 9 disposed adjacent to and terminating respectively in the respective adjacently'disposed blades 4and'l, with the blades 4 and I disposed betweenthe .convex faces 8 and 9. The blades 4 and. l are carried on the common handle I,

As" an illustration, the tool may be a 'paint brushjj'and Ithe .can-coverprying; device maybeprovidedupon'the end of; the handle of the-paint brushij 'I Ihe painter is. always, therefore, provided,'no,t.only with his brush, but also with'a device fo'rfprying open the 'nextcan of paint when his supply of paint has become exhausted. He does not need to begin looking forsomething with which to pry the cover off the :next paint' can; The can-cover-prying device that-hethus has always with him, on the paint brush.;itself; moreover, is always safe to use.

improved attachmentfor. a tool handle.

Other and further objects will be, explaine hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

separated by a slot ill. The convex faces 8 and 9 aredisposed on opposite sides of the blades 4 and 1: the convex face 8 is disposed at one side of the blade 4 and the convex face 9 is disposed adjacent to the blade 4 at its other side; and the convex face 9 is similarly disposed at. one side of the blade I and the convex'face 8 is disposed adjacent to the blade I at its other side.

Theextreme ends of the blades 4 and I may each be caused to engage a portion, of the edge of thecover 6, as illustrated in Fig. 1, between the covert and the body, of the can. The convex face 8 of the device 2 adjacent to the blade 4,

at one side thereof, then engages the peripheral Another object still is to provideanew and I surface ll of the bodyof the can near this portion' of the edge of the cover.

Thehandle I is then manipulated downward, in the direction of the curved arrow, causing the convex-face 8 i to cam against the peripheral surface H'." This results in the blade 4 exerting pressure against the said portion of the edge of the cover 5 upward, in a direction away from the body of the can 5. The cover 6 becomes thus pried off the can 5.

During the exertion of this upward pressure, to pry the cover off the can, the blade 4 is liable to slip out of engagement with thesaid portion of the edge of the cover 6. thus be caused to travel toward a portion of the body of the operator, it might strike toward the operator, so as to cause injury, in the absence of the other convex face 9 the extreme endportion of which is alined with the blade 4 transversely of the handle I. This other convex face If the blade 4 should other materials also, such as plastics.

5 into which it is pressed, thus to help pry off the cover.

. It has been stated that the can-cover-prying device 2 may be pressed out of sheetmetal into biconcave-biconvex form. The slotilfl may be cut out of the sheet metal during the pressing operation. But the device 2 may be made out of Though shown as embodied in the form of an attachment to a standard handle I of wood or other material,.moreover,, the can-cover-prying device 2 may be made integral with the handle I, which may 9, however, would strike the operator, instead;

and as the convex face 9 is not sharp, like the blade 4, it serves to protect the operator against injury from the blade 4. 'The convex face 8 is similarly related to the blade! to perform a similar function.

The convex face 8 at one side of the blade 4, to which it corresponds, serves as a camming face at a time when theconvex face 9 at the other side'of the blade 4' constitutes a protective element therefor. The convex face 9 at one side of the blade I, to which itsimilarly corresponds, mayserve similarly as the camming face at a time when the convex face 8 at the otherside ofthe blade Iconstitutes the protective element tl'i'erefor. The convex faces 8 and 9 thus each constitutes a protective element for protecting the" operator from the'sharp blades 1 and 4, respectively.

According to a feature of the present invention, therefore, tw6 can-prying blades 4 and I are provided'on'a common handle I, each of which is provided with a protective element for protectbefca'used'bythe other blade. I

:Except forlthe presence of the slot- II] between the gblades 4- and' l, the can-cover-prying device 2, asbefore stated, is of the same bi-convex shape astl'ie free end of the handle I: The inside concave faces of the attachment 2 'fitsnuglyagainst the exterior convex faces oftthe end of'the handie. I, and the joining fiat faces of the attach-- mentfrt snugly against the joiningflat faces of the handle I.

"gthefoperator from possible injury that might The painter may therefore hold the handle I, when painting, in the same way as bethen constituted of metal, plastic, or even hard a What isclaimed is:

1. A device for prying off the pressed cover of a can comprising a handle provided Withtvvo oppositely disposed convex faces tapering longitudinallytoward anend of the handle to render the'handle bi -convexat the said end, one of the convex faces terminating in a blade for engaging a portion of the edge of the cover between the cover and the body of the can when the said oh'e 1 face engages the surface of the can near the said portion of the edge of the cover to cause the blade to exert pressure against'the said portion of the edge of thecover in a direction away from the body of the can, thereby to pry the cover off the f can,.and the other convex face having a portion alinedwith the blade transversely of the handle in rder to protect an object toward whichthc bladefmight strike if it'were to slip out of engage ment with the said portion of theed e 0f the cover,

' during the said prying 0f thecover off the can.

2.' A, device for prying off, the pressed cover of i a can comprisinga handle provided with two...

- oppositely disposed convex faces" tapering mag 5 tudinally toward an end of thehandle toIrender thehandle lei-convex at thesaid'nend, a iii-con cave-bi convex hollow attachment the bi-Tcon cavity of which conforms in shape to the iii-con.-

vexity of the. handle mounted'upon the handle The invention, of course,'is applicablefjto use the operator mayhelp separate the periphery ofthe cover 5 slightly from the opening in the can 'againstt'he said port with th e'said'endj of the handle received in the hollow of the attachment and with thebi-convex f, faces of the handle.l.espectively inengagement with the lei-concave faces ofthe attachment, one. of the convex faces of the attachment terminate,

ing in a blade for engaging a portion of the edge of the coverbetween' the cover. and the ,bodyiof the can when the said one face engagesthe sure face of the can near the said portion of the edge of the cover to cause the blade to exertpressure ion of the edgeof the cover in a direction away from the body of the cart} thereby to pry the cover off the can, and theothe'r convex face, of the attachment having aportiong alined with the blade transverselyof the handle in order to protect an object towardwhich ,the

blade might strike if it were to slip out of engage- I ment with the said portion of the edge of the;

cover during the said prying :of the coveroffhthejcan,; I p 3, An attachment for a handle provided with? two oppositely disposed convex faces tapering longitudinally toward an end of the handle to render the handle'bi-convex at the said end, the said at-f tachment being hollow and bi-concave-bi-convex' with the iii-concavity of the attachm'e'nt conform ing in shape to the lei-convexity of the handle,

the attachment being provided with means for attachin'git to the handle with the handle re 5 celved in the hollow of the attachment and with the bi-convex faces of the handle respectively in engagement with the bi-concave faces of the attachment, one of the convex faces of the attachment terminating in a blade for engaging a portion of the edge of the pressed cover of a can between the cover and the body of the can when the said one face engages the surface of the can near the said portion of the-edge of the cover to cause the blade to exert pressure against the said portion of the edge of the cover in a direction away from the body of the can, thereby to pry the cover on the can, and the other convex face of the attachment having a portion alined with the blade transversely of the attachment in order to protect an obj eot toward which the blade might strike if it werev to slip out of engagement with the said portion of the edge of the cover during v REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

